Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Marshall Tract Google Earth

Here's a view of the Marshall Tract from Google Earth. Hope you will make meeting tonight at Lost Creek Country Club at 7 pm for presentation and discussion  of development plans.


Wednesday, April 22, 2015

New Proposal for the Marshall Tract

In a discussion on April 22, 2015 with me and two representatives from the Lost Creek MUD and three representatives from the Lost Creek Neighborhood Association, the land owners, Dan Marshall, representing himself and his co-owner sister Wren, the architect, L. M. (Mac) Holder, and the property manager, Victor Russo revealed their plans for the historically, environmentally and neighborhood significant Marshall Tract.

Under the current plan, not all of the 37.71 acre site will be developed. They will request the zoning be changed to LO (Limited Office), with no code exemptions or variances, meaning at most 40% impervious cover.  The two buildings, parking garage, parking lot and access drive(s) will be built on this small portion of the property.  The Marshalls will create a county designated minimum 20 acre wildlife management area from the remaining area primarily on the Lost Creek (South) side of the property and wrapping around to the East and West.  The wildlife management area will remain undisturbed during and after construction for the benefit of the birds and wildlife.

A perspective from above the development is shown below.


All  the trees and other characteristics of perspective are representations of the actual land and trees. The buildings are drawings of what the buildings might look like. The Eanes/Marshall historical family cemetery is nestled at the South East corner of the parking garage and Western edge of the building closest to Loop 360. The perspective is from the East with Quaker Ridge in the foreground, Lost Creek Blvd. to the right, and Loop 360 just below the top edge of the perspective.

The development, presently called Point West at Marshall Ranch, is planned with the following characteristics:

  • Approximately 350,000 square feet of Class A office space
  • All buildings 3 or 4 story above ground
  • Designed to fit into the topography of the land
  • The closest distance from Quaker Ridge to an office building is 500 feet.
  • Underground utilities
  • Energy conscious design and environmentally compatible architecture
  • Entrance and exit directly on Loop 360
  • No variances to City zoning, hill country roadway or environmental ordinances
  • Minimal destruction of vegetation on the land and no blasting during construction
  • Meets “Dark Sky” requirements
  • Xeriscaping of developed land.
  • Walking trails and picnic grounds on developed land, and trails possibly connected to Boulder Creek Park and Loop 360.
  • Low visibility from Lost Creek
  • Permanent protection of undeveloped portions of land.
  • Professional on-site property management and leasing.

Below is a perspective of the development from near Quaker Ridge and Lost Creek Blvd.


All the vegetation are the right size and in the actual location being derived from a series of photographs of the Marshall Tract.

The view below is from Lost Creek Blvd, just past the condos.




Thursday, April 9, 2015

Northwest PUD Project Remains Stalled

"Though developers introduced it last summer, the Austin Oaks Planned Unit Development continues to linger among the city’s boards and commissions as the neighborhood and developers work on hammering out some kind of compromise.

Developer Spire Realty Group LP has already made some changes to the initial proposal for the 32 acres located on the southwest corner of Spicewood Springs Road and MoPac Boulevard. PUD zoning would allow the developer to move forward with its plans, which include 850,000 square feet of office space and about 100,000 square feet of retail space.

In November, Spire Realty Group offered to reduce the height of the tallest building from 225 feet to 200 feet and reduce the number of apartments to 300 units. The developer has also offered to make improvements to and create a fund for nearby Doss Elementary. However, with the plan stalled, all of those compromises remain theoretical."

- See more at: http://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2015/04/northwest-pud-project-remains-stalled/#sthash.6WJEwgwF.dpuf